Mold structure



March 15, 1960 R. M. HELLER 2,928,126

MOLD STRUCTURE Original Filed May 2, 1955 FIG.3.

2: 22 23 24 1 .1 J 0 PRE.HEAT INJE LOAD ---|4---cu E UNLOAD COOL 8 INVENTOR. ROBERT M. H ELLER ATTORNEYS 2,928,126 e Patented Mar. 15,1960.

2,928,126 MOLD STRUCTURE Robert M. Heller, Birmingham, Mich., assignor to Watts Electric & Mfg. Co., Birmingham, Mich.,' a corporation of Michigan 1 Claim. or. 18-36) The present invention relates to a mold structure for use in an apparatus'for manufacturing composite articles, and constitutes a divisionof my application Serial No. 505,286 filed May 2, 1955.

One of the essential objects of the invention is to pro- Vide a mold having an upwardly opening cavity adapted toreceive an exactly metered quantity or charge of moldable material, and having at the center of said cavity an upstanding projection or pin operable as a pilot for a separate body or element to be united with moldable material in said cavity, whereby scuh separate body or element will be placed in exact registration with said moldable material.

Another object is to provide a mold adapted for use with a mold carrier and having a portion adapted to telescopically engage a portion of said mold carrier,

whereby said mold is removable and may be easily .as-

sembled with and disassembled from said carrier.

, Fig. 7 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through a mold holder, mold, and moldable material in the mold; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through a mold holder, mold, separate body, and molded material between the mold and body.

Another object is to provide a mold having a pro- -jection of predetermined length insertable through a shaped body having an upwardly opening mold cavity adapted to receive moldable material and provided in said cavity with an upstanding pilot for a separate. body 2 to be united with moldablematerial in said cavity, the

stem of said T beingadapted to-telescopically engage a vertical opening in said carrier, and the head of said T being adapted 'to rest upon the" upper surface of said Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings illustrate structural fea tures of a typical composite article which may be produced at highspeed and in excellent quality by my improved apparatus. Regardless of its particularfeatures, any such article will include a body 11 of metal or other relatively rigid material, and a resilient member or sealant 12 of a suitable moldable material. In the particular embodiment in Figs. 1 and 2, the body 11 comprises a conventional inte'riorlythreaded nut 13 and a centrally apertured slightly cupped backing disk l4rigidly secured coaxially thereto. The resilient member or sealant 12 is coaxialwith andbonded to the body 11.

Manyualternative composite articles may be manufactured with equal quality, practicality and economy in accordance with the invention; however the built-up article in Figs. 1 and 2 serves as one illustration. Even in this particular selection the nut 13 may be machined or cast or may be a speed nut of shaped sheet metal. The resilient member or sealant His-annular in configuration.

The annular backing disk 14 and the nut 1.3'constituting the-body 11 are interlocked rigidly with one another, by upsetting and crimping a small integral end collar 16 of the nut.13 (Fig. 2) outwardly into overlapping clamping engagement with an annular series of internal prongs 17 of the disk 14. This permits the spaces between the prongs- 17 to act as bonding openings into which the moldable material of the resilient member 12 may flow to improve the bondbetween the resilient memway, as by welding, soldering, etc.

carrier to support the mold cavity' in a predetermined position to receive the moldable material.

Another object is to pro-videa mold that is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, and efficient in operation. i 7

Other objects, advantages and novel details of construction of this invention will be made more apparent as this description proceeds, especially when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a composite article produced by my apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view-through the composite article in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 isa schematic plan view of the endless conveyor and stations through which theconveyor passes;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of the endless conveyor and removable mold holders and molds carried thereby;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view of the structure in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4;

Reference should be. had to schematic Fig. 3 wherein theapparatus comprises an endless conveyor 20 which travels at a steady speed in a horizontal plane and in a continuous elongated oval orbit and which may be driven by any suitable means (notshown) under any suitable v speed control equipment (not shown). A successionmetered amount of a moldable material such as a known plastic,.rubber composition, or the like, is charged or otherwise deposited while in a fluid, a powdered or a plastic condition in the molds on the conveyor 20; a loading station 23 at which the separate bodies 11 are accurately registered and engaged with the metered charge of moldable material; a curing station 24 in which the moldable material may be converted, cured or otherwise caused to set and will be permanently bonded to the bodies 11; a cooling station or chamber 25 in which the bonded members 11 and 12 are cooled; and'finally an unloading station 26 at which the completed cooled links 28 of one set are in vertical registration with the links 28 of the other set. Spacers 29 are between the upper and lower links 28 at opposite ends thereof,1 and upper and lower sets of longitudinally spaced connecting or coupling links 31 span the spaces between and have end portions engaging adjacent end portions of the links 28. Pivot pins 3d extend. through the spacers 29 and connect the engaging end portions of said connecting links 31 to the upper and lower main links 28.

The pins 39 have upstanding portions3tl' that extend above the uppermost connecting links 31 and thereby provide locating posts at opposite ends of the uppermost links 31 on which individual transversely extending mold holders 32 are removably mounted. The centerportion of each holder 32 is substantially equalin width to a link 31 and is sleeved upon a pair of the upstanding portions 39' of the pins 3b. The conveyor will be appropriately guided in its horizontal orbit by suitable sprockets and the like (not shown) and will be driven by suitable mechanism (also not shown). Such guiding and driving means form no part of the present'invention.

Each. of the mold holders 32 is formed-of a light weight material, and is preferably an aluminum casting. Though its configuration may vary widely, each holder 32 is an elongated member and is substantially oval shaped in plan so that necessary clearance is provided between adjacent holders when they pass around the guiding or driving sprockets (not shown) at opposite ends of the longitudinal reaches of the conveyor.

Each holder 32 has a pair of transversely spaced vertical openings 33 which receive the upstanding portions 36 of the pins 30 to enable each holder to'be quickly and easily assembled with or disassembled from the conveyor 23. As viewed in Fig. 4, the openings 32 are aligned along the minor axis of the holder 32, i.e.along the longitudinal path of travel of conveyor 20.

Each holder 32 also has on its major axis a pair of longitudinally spaced vertical openings 34, and each of said openings has a diameter of sufiicieut size to receive with a freely sliding clearance a mating downwardly projecting cylindrical portion 35 of an individual mold 36, so that such molds as can be quickly assembled with I or disassembled from the mold carriers.

For lightness in weight, each mold 36 is a die casting of aluminum. Preferably the body 36a of each mold is provided at the upper end of the downwardly projecting cylindrical portion 35 with a laterally extending horizontal flange 37 which rests on the upper surface of a holder 32. As shown, the axial length of the cylindrical portion is slightly greater than the thickness of a holder 32 so that the lower projecting end portion 35a of the portion 35 may be engaged by a tool (not shown) when it is desired to eject upwardly the portion 35 from an opening 3 Preferably each holder 32 has on the bottom thereof a downwardly projecting .boss 33 that rests upon the upper surface of an upper coupling link;

31 and maintains the holder 32 in spaced relation to the conveyor The body of each mold is provided above the horizontal flange 37 with an upwardly opening annular mold cavity surrounding and concentric with an upstanding centrally located integral projection or pilot pin 46 that is engageable with the preformed threaded bore 41 of the nut 13 of the separate body 11. Sufiicient'clearance is provided between the pin it? and bore 41 to permit the am i o e sl d q i ly upon he p n- T us he separate body 11 can be placed accurately in registration with the material in the mold cavity 39.

in use, the conveyor 20 is first equipped with a complete set of mold holders 32 and each mold holder 32 is equipped with its complement of two molds 36. Then the conveyor 2% is actuated 'to transport the molds 36 into the preheat station or chamber 21 where the molds 36 are preheated to the proper temperature to receive a charge of moldable material. Then the molds 36 pass to the mold injection or filling station 22 where suitable means (not shown) deposits; by injection or otherwise, into each of the upwardly opening mold cavities 39 an exactly metered amount of moldable material 15 to form the sealant 12, as shown Fig. 7. Upon arrival of the charged molds 36 at the loading station, a body 11 is sleeved upside down upon the pilot pin d0 of each mold 36, as illustratedin Fig. 8. Thus each body 11 is placed accurately in registration with the mold cavity 39 and in engagement with the moldable material in the cavity. The moldable material 15 in the cavity 39 will then engage and adhere to the concave surface of the disk 14 of the body and to the collar 16 of the nutj13 of the body and will flow between the prongs 17 of the disk 14 to engage and adhere to the nut 13.. Thenthe molds 36 pass through curing station or chamber 24 where the moldable material 15 in each cavity 39 is cured and set in permanently bonded relation with the body 11 with which it is engaged. Such molds 36 then pass through a cooling station or chamber 25, and arrive finally at unloading sta tion 26 where the completed composite articles are removed from themolds 36. The conveyor 20 is constantly inmotion while the molds36 pass from the first to the last station. as described. The completed composite articles may be stripped from the molds 36 by exerting a force against the disks14. If desired the molds 36 may be removed from the holders 32 by exerting a force against the exposed lower ends 35a of the base portions 35.

The composite articles are produced in complete uniformity and'high quality, and at a rapid rate of production. The moldable material 15 will usually be in a fluid or plasticized condition, however it is contemplated that other materials'in powdered and solid condition susceptible of an exact deposition may be employed. Any suitable thermoplastic material. may be used however the nature of the material will of course also determine the necessity and character of the preheating and curing treat-,- ment to which it is subjected.

What I claim as my invention is:

A mold assembly comprising a mold body having an upwardly open cavity including a peripheral circular lip occupying a horizontal plane, and a centrally located upstanding pin having a lower portion of circularcrossr section extending above the plane occupied by said lip and' a reduced portion extending upwardly from said lower portion, a removable and'replaceable mold closure element comprising'a centrally apertured metal part having an outside diameter substantially larger than the diameter of said lip and adapted to be supported thereon, the central aperture having a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the lower portion of said pin to be "filled and substantially sealed thereby when themold References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 549,369 Kempshall t Nov. 5, 1895 789,694- Kempshall May 9, 1905 1 ,138,423 Elliot June27, 1916 

